Chart device and tab holder therefor



April 3, 1951 A. E. sEEP 2,547,049

CHART DEVICE AND TAB HOLDER THEREFOR Filed April 8, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet l- ALBER T E. SEEP I N V EN TOR.

BY #atm A T TORNE Y April 3, 1951 A. E. sEEP 2,547,049

CHART DEVICE AND TAB HOLDER THEREFOR Filed April 8, 1944 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 f O f' O 33 /2 I SEATTLE Wml' Jones, Mgr: l 32 /3 111 'Trust Bldg' Fly, 7 Ph. MAin e211 3 ALBER T E. SEEP IN V EN TOR.

ATTORNEY Patented Apr. 3, l11951 UNITED-f STA-rss PATENT ortica HEREFOR;

Albert' E? S'eep, Denven'Colo.

ApplicationzApril 8; 1944; lSer-ial No'. 5301251V 10. Claims. l..

This: inventionrelatesz to chart devices. and moreparticularly to tabfholders'for use as-component parts in building up charts. The char-t device of*A this inventionl is particularlyadaptedfto be' utilizedf in charts indicating personnel. of` a business or military organization, or vfor other similar purposes.

Inan organization;chartthere'maybe a number'oflrelatively permanent names, titles, positions, orv thelike tobe-indicated-and there also may be a numberofv relatively temporary names, titles,I or the likeg. normally subject tochange. Such changesv may take place regularly as in military units-,or from time. to time depending upon. turnover in. the. organization or shifting about of personnel tor permit experience to be gained, or for other reasons. Thus, it is desirable that`- a chart device be. exible andpermit additionsto or deletions fromfthechart withrelative ease.

Among; the objects of this invention .are .to provide a chart device which is flexible-and: to fwhich indicia can be added or from which deletions.- can be madewith easeytoprovide a tab holder which will hold aniindicating-'tab securely; to providea A tab holderv Which maybe made of relatively light material, yet isstrengthened ina novelmanner; toprovidea tabholder which engages the tab. in a, novel. manner.; tov provide tab holder stock which may becut tor any desired length; toprovide a tab holder or a seriesthereof whichrnay be-aixed'toa wall, panel, or the like;v to provide a; plurality of tab holders, the upper of which may bear a relatively permanent. indicating tab, and the remainder of which may be .aiiixed to the upper holder. and to each other; to provide. a series. of tab--holderswhich are readily attached anddetached; and to providesuch tabfholders which are relatively easy to produceand simple to use. y

Other. objects and novelfeaturesfwill become apparent from the description which, follows, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1` is a front elevation/of a chartdevice constructed. in accordance with this invention and mounted on a board adaptedto be hungon awall;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation of a stripconstructed structed: in.. accordance.. with` this; invention, and l adapted reproduce a number of holders, one lor 2y more. of which. may.` be. suspendedr from or at'- ta'chedto,aztabholderiof Fig. 2;

Fig/lisa cross-.section taken alongline 4-4of Figz`2;.

Fig..5is.a1cross section taken alonglineE--aiof Fig. 3

Fig; 6 is a vertical sectionillustrating theattachment of the holder. of. Fig. 3 to the holder of Fig, 2 and to a-wallor chart board;

Fig.,'7 is a cross section illustrating the. attachmentof a-tab holder.y to apanel or other support;

Fig. 8 is across section ofan alternative'type oftab holder;

Fig; 9 isja front elevation of a holder and tab illustrating the amount) of,I information that mayV be placed upon asingle tab;vr

Fig. 10'is1a fragmentary vertical section corresponding to the assembly shown in Fig. Gillustratinggamodiied.form of-vtab utilizing features of this invention.

In the chartillustrated inFig. l, the general title-of the, chart lmay be printed or otherwise indicated onf-al board B, .adapted to be hung on a Wallfor placedfinanyother positionsuitable for use. A pluralityoftab'holders. Illrare adaptedto holdrelatively. permanenttabs il, on which are shown the more permanent indicia, such as sections" of a oountryior sales purposes, military units; or the like. Oneor more tab holders. i2; may beattached to .each tab holder i0. independingvrelation and'attachedw to boardBand to each otherV in.a=.relatively. simple manner, so that' addi-` tionsto-or deletions from. the chart are relatively easy.. Tabholders l2 are adapted to holdtaos I3 on which are shown less permanent indicia, such as the names-of'salesmen or field representatives. or the names ofpersonnel of a military unit, such as.K in the Serviceof'Snp-ply. The tabsv i3; are, ingenerahreplaced more often than tabs l'l; the latteroflwhi'ch may be pasted, glued orother- Wise attached to the holders.

Tab holders, l 0 may be constructed from .a strip I44 of.' Figs. 2" and 4',.by cuttingA or severing. the strip` into desired. lengths. Strip. lli' is provided with a flange l5 along one edge thereof, and may be. made. of. relatively light material. such .asplastic, metal; Woodiibre' board; or the'like Flange I5`iS. adapted' tovenclosel a rod I6; as in Fig. 6; which` strengthens the holder. The strip. i4 is also provided' with a plurality ofslots l1 through Which any suitable fastening device, such' as. screws., nails, rivets,V orv thev likeV may be' insertedV to fastenthe strip to: theA board" orto theI back'- ground'. Theit'alo` holder lilfmay be made from'f aA strip 211', as in Figs'. 'andi;A providedWitlfian'vl upper flange 2| and a lower flange 22, and also a hook 23 adapted to extend over and substantially enclose the rod I6 of the tab holder l0. Strip I4 is therefore provided with a plurality of slots 24 through which hooks 23 may be inserted, the hooks extending over the rod I6 to attach the lower tab holder to the upper tab holder as in Fig. 6. As in Fig. 2, the front portion of ange l may be provided with additional slots 25 to accommodate the forwardly extending portions of hooks 23.

A border 26 extends downwardly from the forward edge of upper ange 2|, and a border 2l extends upwardly from the forward edge of lower flange 22, to accommodate an indicating tab 28 upon which is printed or otherwise shownA a name or other indicia. The tab 28 may be placed in either the front or the rear of the tab holder, as shown, the convex lower surface of the upper flange 2| and the convex upper surface of rod |6 being adapted to hold the tab in position against the borders 26 and 2l or against. the strip. Or, as illustrated in Fig. a thicker tab 28:1. may be used having a notch En and 5| at each side adapted to engage the convex surfaces, the other parts shown in this view, namely B', |232, 26x and 21x, corresponding in all essential respects to the similarly numbered parts shown in Fig. 6. The ability to place the tabs at either the front or the rear of the tab holder becomes of advantage when it is known that there will be a change in the chart within a short time, and the new tab can be prepared at the same time as the one to be used until the change is made. Thus, the front tab may be used until the time of the change, at which it may be removed to expose the rear tab to view. The removed tab may be discarded or kept for future use, depending upon the circumstances. 1

A plurality of indicating tab holders may be attached together by means of the hooks, the hooks passing through slots 2g and extending over and substantially enclosing the rod i6 of the tab holder next above. Since the border 2l extends upwardly, it is unnecessary to provide slots in the border to accommodate hooks, since the hooks will fit into the space between rod I6 and the border.

Strip Zlrnay also be provided with suitable Ymeans for fastening the tab holder toa background board or other support, such as 'a file cabinet or the like. At predetermined intervals the strip may be provided with key-shaped slot 3| within a countersink 32, so that the tab holder may be attached to the support by a nail or other suitable means, such as a standard split-shank paper fastener 33, as in Fig. '7. The paper fastener 33 extends through slot 3|, the head thereof being disposed with countersink 30 to eliminate any obstruction to the insertion or Withdrawal of tabs within the holder i2. The tab holder is attached to a support 34, such as the wall of a iiling cabinet, the support being provided with a hole 35 through which fastener 3| passes, the legs of the fastener shank being bent over against a washer 35. f

An alternative construction of tab holder is i1- lustrated in Fig. 8. As before, a plurality of ltab holders may be made by cutting a strip lli! to suitable lengths,. the strip being provided with substantially identical upper and lower flanges 4| have a thickened center providing convex inner surfaces in substantially the same manner as flange 2| of Fig. 5, except that the outside pe-V riphery Aof each ange is also convex to provide a relatively thick central section which imparts strength and rigidity to the tab holder. The upper and lower anges may be provided with borders 42, for the same purpose as border 26 of Fig. 6, and an indicating tab may be inserted in either the front or the rear of the tab holder, or a notched tab may be used which engages the convex surfaces. The tab holder of Fig. 8 is particularly useful asa name or title plate or the like, or when only one tab holder is to be used, as on a ling cabinet or the like.

The tab holders of Figs. 2, 3 and 8, particularly when made of plastic or similar material, may be provided in any desired color or combination of colors, to lend distinctiveness to the chart and also to segregate each section of the chart. Any desired color scheme or combination may be used, such as different colors for each division, or a different color for the managersor key personnel.

'The rod I6 may be of metal, wood, or a rolled paper tube impregnated with a plastic or the like and then baked to provide strength with lightness in weight, or the rod I6 may be solid plastic or the like.

The strip i fl, from which the tab holders 0 are made, the strip 20, from which tab holders l2 are Inade, the strip from which holders 4U are made, and rods I6, may be any desired length originally, such as 8 in., l2 in., or 24 in., so that a plurality of tab holders of even length, such as 1 in., 2 in., or 3 in., etc., may be made from each strip. Preferably, slots in strip I4, and slots 3| in strip 20 are spaced so that the strip may be severed between two closely adjacent slots to provide a tab holder 1 in. long having a pair of slots adjacent each end, although any other desired increment of length may be provided.

Although in the chart of Fig. 1, only one line or printing has been shown on each tab, it Will be understood that the size and shape, and particularly the number of lines of printing on each'tab, may be varied as desired. For instance, the tab holder I2 of Fig. 9 permits the insertion of a relatively large tab i3 on which three lines of printing, for instance, may be placed. It will be understood, of course, that the tab holder may be larger or smaller in accordance with the amount of information to be placed thereon, and more particularly the manner in which the information is placed thereon. By utilizing relatively long strips, as explained previously, the length of the tab holder may be varied as desired.

From the foregoing, it will be apparent that the chart device and tab holders therefor, constructed in accordance with this invention, 'per-l mit a chart of any size or shape to be built up readily, and also permit additions and deletions to be made with ease. A tab holder constructed in accordance with this invention is also particularly advantageous, since it is relatively strong due to either a rod in one flange or thickened sections in both upper and lower flanges, and also may be used as a name plate or for other similar use.

It will be understood that various changes may be made, that modications of this invention other than those described may exist, vand that other uses of the tab holders may be found, all without departing from the spirit and scope of this invention.

what is claimed is:

1. For a chart device, atab holder comprising a flat body portion having upper and lower iianges terminating in tab-retaining borders substanltially parallel to said fiat surface and the inner 5 surfaces of the intermediate portion of the flanges providing convex surfaces for engagement with the upper and lower edges of an indicating tab.

2. For a chart device, a tab holder having upper and lower tab-retaining anges, and a rod extending along one edge of said tab holder and substantiallyT enclosed by one of said flanges.

3. For a chart device, a tab holder as defined in claim 2, in which said rod is adapted to engage one edge of the tab inserted in said holder.

4. For a chart device, a tab holder comprising a flat cody portion having upper and lower flanges terminating in tab-retaining borders substantially parallel to said fiat surface and the inner surface of the intermediate portion of at least one said flange providing a convex surface for engaging an edge of an indicating tab.

5. A chart device comprising an upper tab holder having a lower tab retaining flange adapted to substantially enclose a rod; a rod extending through the flange enclosure and a lower tab holder provided with a plurality of hook-like projections adapted to extend over the top of said rod, said upper holder having a plurality of notches through which said projections extend.

6. A strip for forming a plurality of tab holders, said strip having a lower ange adapted to extend around a reinforcing rod and being provided with slots adjacent to the lower flange and through which may extend hooks attached to the next lower tab holder to engage said rod; and a plurality of longitudinally spaced slots through which a fastener may extend, said slots being so disposed that said strip may be severed between two closely adjacent slots to provide a tab holder having a predetermined length.

7. A strip for forming a plurality of tab holders, said strip having a convex upper flange and a concave `lower flange with a border extending downwardly from the outer edge of said upper flange and upwardly from the outer edge of said lower flange, said concave lower flange being adapted to receive a reinforcing rod; a plurality of hooks extending from the upper edge of said strip for attaching a tab holder formed from said strip to the tab holder next above and adapted to at least partially encircle a reinforcing rod of the tab holder next above; and a' plurality of slots adjacent the lower iiange of said strip through which hooks of the tab holder next below may extend to engage said reinforcing rod.

8. A tab holder comprising a strip having upper and lower flanges provided with a thickened center portion producing convex surfaces; and borders extending upwardly from the edge of said lower flange and downwardly from the edge of said upper flange.

9. In a chart device, a plurality of tab holders having upper and lower flanges, the lower flanges of each tab holder being adapted to receive a reinforcing rod and the upper edge of each tab holder being provided with a hook for engaging the rod of the next tab holder above, said upper iiange forming a convex surface and said rod also forming la convex surface for holding a tab adjacent the outer edges of said flanges or against said strip; and a reinforcing rod in each tab holder.

10. A tab holder comprising a strip having an upper ange provided with a downwardly extended tab retaining border; a lower flange provided with an upwardly extended tab retaining border; and means associated with said anges and providing a convex surface adjacent the center of each ange whereby an indicating tab may beheld adjacent the body of said strip or adjacent the bodies of said flanges.

ALBERT E. SEEP.

REFERENCES SITED The following references are of record in the ile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 843,889 Gilman et al Feb. 12, 1907 1,280,732 Hick Oct. 8, 1918 1,344,223 Davis June 22, 1920 1,382,646 Johnston June 28, 1921 1,432,303 Roberts Oct. 17, 1922 1,457,255 Loveless May 29, 1923 1,964,484 Schroeder June 26, 1934, 

